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Rocket

UNIT 2 - Global Climate - Vulnerability & Resilience

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Deciduous Tree

Option A - Freshwater – Drainage basins

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Magnifying Glass Tilted Left

Option B - Oceans & Coastal Margins

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ringed-planet

Option C - Extreme Environments

Option D - Geophysical Hazards

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Performing Arts

Option E - Leisure, Tourism & Sport

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Flexed Biceps

Option F - The Geography Of Food & Health

Option G - Urban Environments

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Office Building

Unit 1 - Changing Population

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Globe Showing Europe Africa

Unit 3 - Global Resource Consumption & Security

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Mobile Phone

Unit 4 - Power, Places & Networks

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Factory

Unit 5 - Human Development & Diversity

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Globe With Meridians

Unit 6 - Global Risks & Resilience

Welcome to Greenhouse Effect 101! It&rsquo;s not just about hot houses for your favorite plants; it&#39;s a fundamental feature of our planet and crucial for life as we know it.

Picture this: The Sun&#39;s throwing a huge pool party and you&#39;re invited. Its guests? Short-wave radiation! They zip through our atmosphere and some get absorbed by the Earth. But what goes in must come out, right? Earth emits this energy back as long-wave radiation.

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Here&#39;s where the Greenhouse Effect steps in: certain gases (known as greenhouse gases) act like bouncers, trapping this long-wave radiation. This leads to a rise in the atmosphere&#39;s temperature - a literal global warm-up!

This might sound scary, but in moderation, it&#39;s what makes Earth a cosy, life-friendly planet. Consider our not-so-friendly neighbour, the Moon. Without an atmosphere, its temperatures swing wildly between 100&deg;C during the day and -150&deg;C at night. Brrr, no thank you! Thanks to our atmosphere, Earth sits at a comfy average of 15&deg;C.

Greenhouse gases are like the ingredients in a warming cocktail, with water vapour being the key mixer (making up 95% of them by volume). However, the gases we really need to watch out for in the climate change discussion are carbon dioxide (CO2), methane, and chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs).

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	Carbon Dioxide (CO2): Like a bad guest, CO2 levels have shot up from 315 parts per million (ppm) in 1950 to over 400 ppm in 2012 and are predicted to hit a whopping 600 ppm by 2050! The culprits? Fossil fuel burning and deforestation. Think of it this way - each tree we cut down is like snuffing out a small CO2 vacuum cleaner, making the problem even worse.
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	Methane: The unexpected villain in this story, it&#39;s the second-largest contributor to global warming and increases at 1% per annum. Fun(?) fact: Cows are methane factories, converting up to 10% of their food into methane. Also, wetlands, paddy fields, and melting permafrost release significant amounts of methane into our atmosphere. Next time you pass by a paddy field, you might think about the potential for gassy emissions!
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	Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs): The dark horse of greenhouse gases, CFCs are synthetic chemicals that not only destroy ozone but also trap heat super efficiently. How efficiently? They are up to 10,000 times more adept at this than CO2 and are increasing at a whopping 6% per annum.
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To sum it up, the Greenhouse Effect is the Earth&#39;s natural temperature control system. However, human activities have cranked up the thermostat, leading to global warming. Each greenhouse gas plays a unique role in this process, so understanding them is key to solving the climate puzzle.

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Remember, we&#39;re all in this together, so every little action we take to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions can make a big difference. Happy studying, future geographers!

Understanding The Greenhouse Effect Earth's Lifeline

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Higher Level

Geography HL

UNIT 2 - Global Climate - Vulnerability & Resilience

Understanding The Greenhouse Effect Earth's Lifeline

Table of content

What is the greenhouse effect?

Unlock the Full Content!

UNIT 2 - Global Climate - Vulnerability & Resilience

Understanding The Greenhouse Effect Earth's Lifeline

Table of content

What is the greenhouse effect?

Unlock the Full Content!